Joshua 22:20-23 He Knows!

 20Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’ ”

21Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel: 22“The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today. 23If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable.

“They first appeal to God, because He knows for certain their hearts, and they believe that their brothers in the western tribes have misunderstood them.

When we are misunderstood, our first refuge is God.……” (Guzik)

He Knows!

“The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God!”

Notice their appeal! Not once but twice!

“…. He knows our heart, and we must be satisfied with being right before God even if it means we are wrong in the eyes of some others.” (Guzik)

Let that sink in! 

Acts 5: 28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this man’s blood.”

29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.

How will we respond when that day comes? 

Dear Heavenly Father, please give us the courage of Peter to make a stand for You. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Blessings 

Joshua 22:19 Do Not Rebel Against the Lord!

 19If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

“To Phinehas, anything was better than seeing these tribes drift away in rebellion against God. If there was something unclean in their land, he invited them to come and live with the tribes on the western side of the Jordan.” (Guzik)

“But do not rebel against the LORD”

What is our responsibility if we witness a brother sinning, rebelling against the Lord?

First and foremost lift it up in prayer to the Lord.

I am reminded of this verse:

Matthew 18:15 “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother. NASB

Recently in the news, sixty churches from the United Methodist Church have voted to split from the UMC because of policies concerning homosexuality. This has been brewing for years as a friend was talking about leaving them over these policies. 

The Book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 has a lot to say about churches.

What will the Lord say about “our” church, “I know your deeds,”……….?

Blessings 

Joshua 22:16-18 They Thought

 16“This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel against the LORD this day?

17Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. 18And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

“Clearly, they thought that the altar at the Jordan represented a rival place of sacrifice and worship, to compete with God’s tabernacle, presently at Shiloh.” (Guzik)

“Phinehas reminds the eastern tribes that Israel has been punished for rebellion against God before, using the rebellion at Peor as an example.

i. At Peor, Israel’s men had sex with Moabite women, and they gave themselves over to the worship of the Moabite gods. In judgment, God sent a plague that killed 24,000 people.

ii. This incident would be especially meaningful to Phinehas because he was the one who stopped the plague by making a dramatic stand for righteousness on an occasion of gross sin.

c. He will be angry with the whole congregation: Phinehas also knew that the sin of these tribes would reflect on the whole nation. He knew that no one really sins all by himself.” (Guzik)

This incident of misunderstanding could have been avoided if Phinehas inquired of the Lord first and foremost! 

“They thought”

One harsh winter day during a snowstorm we went to church and afterwards an older woman expressed her displeasure with the winter jacket I wore to church because she thought it was inappropriate.

Brethren, we need to keep our thoughts to ourselves and stop sitting on His throne in His place when it comes to simple matters.

It’s good practice to pray before you open your mouth.

Blessings 

Joshua 22:13-15 Assume

 13Then the sons of Israel sent Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, 14and with him ten leaders, one leader from each father’s household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one was the head of his father’s household among the thousands of Israel. 15They came to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, 

“Phinehas led the group because he had the authority. He was high priest over the whole nation, including the two and one-half tribes on the east side of the Jordan. He not only had the authority, he also had the heart of a wise shepherd. He wanted to correct the erring, to protect the nation, and to drive out the dangerous.” (Guzik)

“Israel reacted according to God’s character. Their assembling for war demonstrated God’s holiness, but their personal confrontation demonstrated God’s love.” (Guzik)

Assume

Some people say this word means: ass out of you and me! I study these verses and see a big misunderstanding for this reason, nowhere do we read the Israelites inquired of the Lord!

“Phinehas had authority, he also had the heart of a wise shepherd.” (Guzik) 

But if he was wise, wouldn’t he have inquired of the Lord first?

Dear Lord, help us be wise by inquiring of You first in all things and smart enough to wait for an answer. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Blessings 

The Tongue Is a Fire

 James 3: 2For we all stumble and sin in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says [never saying the wrong thing], he is a perfect man [fully developed in character, without serious flaws], able to bridle his whole body and rein in his entire nature [taming his human faults and weaknesses]. 3Now if we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. 4And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. 5In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! 6And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by [b]hell (Gehenna). 7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. 10Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts]. 11Does a spring send out from the same opening both [c]fresh and bitter water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce [d]fresh.

Proverbs 15:4 Amp A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life, But a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.

Psalm 64:3 NLT They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows.

The Bible has a lot to say about our tongues and we should remember how we can use it as a cursing or a blessing! In one moment we use it to bless the Lord and another we use it to deeply wound someone we love!

Why?

Because when it comes down to it we are sinful! 

We have choices today, we can use our tongues as a 🔥 or as an encouragement!

Which will you choose?

Blessings 

Joshua 22:11-12 Simple Reaction

 11Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 12And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.

“When the news came to the rest of Israel, there was no discussion, there was a simple reaction. They gathered to make war against their own brothers who built this altar.”

“Why did they do this? Because they feared that this altar was a sign of allegiance to the pagan gods of the region.” (Guzik)

In a short time they went from brothers of war to enemies! The Israelites didn’t inquire of the Lord they just made a simple reaction!

Let this be a lesson for us! Inquire of the Lord and don’t make a simple reaction because it will lead to a monumental misunderstanding!

Blessings 

Joshua 22:9-10 Altar

 9So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses. 10And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.

“We might imagine that this was a somewhat emotional departure of brothers who had known the closeness of fighting side-by-side. These were true veterans of the army of Israel.”(Guzik)

“A great, impressive altar: This was significant not only because of its size, but because of the meaning of an altar. An altar was a place of sacrifice, and both the Israelites and pagans had altars they used for sacrifice.” (Guzik)

Altar

Some religions use them and some don’t.

How do you think the other tribes will react to this great impressive altar?

Blessings